680 New Stevens Students Mark Largest Group in University History

The new group of 680 Stevens undergraduate students who arrived on campus for the fall 2012 semester are the largest and most competitive group in university history. Made up of members in the Class of 2016 as well as new transfer students, the group was selected from more than 4,520 applications, marking an all-time low overall selectivity rate of 38 percent.

The new undergraduates are also some of Stevens’ most diverse. Thirty-two percent of the new students are female, far above the national average for technical universities. The students hail from 32 states and 9 countries, with 40 percent coming from outside of New Jersey. While 73 percent indicate that they plan to study engineering, significant numbers of students have declared interest in science, computer science, business and liberal arts. In addition, 183 students were recruited to join one of Stevens’ 26 athletic programs.

“Stevens’ strategic plan calls for a growth in the student population, improved academic metrics, and more diversity from a geographic and gender standpoint,” said Stevens Director of Undergraduate Admissions Shane Topping. “On most of these fronts we have seen significant improvement. This is just one step on a ten-year journey, but we are certainly moving in the right direction.”

On the graduate side, applications also increased considerably over last year. More than 600 incoming full-time master’s and doctoral students from dozens of American and international universities began their graduate studies at Stevens this year. There was a significant increase in the international population, with the largest group hailing from China, followed by India. Some of the new countries that sent graduate scholars to Stevens were Colombia, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Mexico, Seychelles, Singapore and Yemen. Stevens also increased its cohort of domestic full-time and part-time graduate students.

“This well-rounded and talented group of new students will enrich the Stevens community,” said Topping. “They bring a wealth of experiences and successes in academics, extracurricular activities, athletics and community service – hallmarks of all entering classes at Stevens. They will surely live up to the great reputation of Stevens students, and we are excited to welcome them to campus.”